I'm cringing after reading that, cutting and tearing nails. I suppose whatever you had to do, if it works.
I would think they would let them break or fall off, cut them with flint rock or possibly bite or chew each others nails off (*barf*).
Nails on the hands actually can be useful (in cave dwelling times and for scratch tickets), I really don't see the purpose of toenails except as being purely vestigial.

I'm cringing after reading that, cutting and tearing nails. I suppose whatever you had to do, if it works.
I would think they would let them break or fall off, cut them with flint rock or possibly bite or chew each others nails off (*barf*).
Nails on the hands actually can be useful (in cave dwelling times and for scratch tickets), I really don't see the purpose of toenails except as being purely vestigial.

They keep really long needles, thorns and nails from coming all the way through from beneath.

I go barefoot alot ( don't say it, I own shoes and yea I know y'all think Arkansans are hicks) my feet are really tough but I still have to trim my nails. No, I don't go gallovanting around the forest barefooted, so breakage is not something I have tested, personally. It seems to me that would happen. Kinda like wild horses and zebras don't need their hooves trimmed like domesticated horses do. Anyway, that is what I think.

I don't think he's being serious. If you don't wear shoes your toes will be heavily calloused and pointy things will not easily penetrate them. If something did penetrate the toe stopping at the toenail won't have any real advantage.

As was mentioned in Shagnasty:'s other thread, they file them, with rough objects, like stones, to keep themselves groomed. I don't think its reasonable to consider humans, extant or prehistoric, as more primitive, than extant apes, or monkeys, and those specimens have grooming behaviors we can study.

Here's a funny "just-so"-type observation of mine. Consider the common house cat. They spend a great deal of time grooming. They're small animals, but their energy requirements are met with the high-energy = meat-rich diet. But they don't groom themselves just because the cleaner they are, the healthier they are -- they do it to show off.

"Everybody lookitme. I'm so casual. Just pickin' at my claws. Why, i'm completely defenseless right now, as I put them into condition. A big ol' rival could make a mess of me, right now. La ti da."

Yeah, right. Go ahead and grab a cat while its grooming itself. Just be sure to put it on YouTube. I bet the cat would appreciate the opportunity to show how fast it can correct you -- even with only half its claws in prime condition.

As was mentioned in Shagnasty:'s other thread, they file them, with rough objects, like stones, to keep themselves groomed. I don't think its reasonable to consider humans, extant or prehistoric, as more primitive, than extant apes, or monkeys, and those specimens have grooming behaviors we can study.

Here's a funny "just-so"-type observation of mine. Consider the common house cat. They spend a great deal of time grooming. They're small animals, but their energy requirements are met with the high-energy = meat-rich diet. But they don't groom themselves just because the cleaner they are, the healthier they are -- they do it to show off.

"Everybody lookitme. I'm so casual. Just pickin' at my claws. Why, i'm completely defenseless right now, as I put them into condition. A big ol' rival could make a mess of me, right now. La ti da."

Yeah, right. Go ahead and grab a cat while its grooming itself. Just be sure to put it on YouTube. I bet the cat would appreciate the opportunity to show how fast it can correct you -- even with only half its claws in prime condition.

My Siamese cats do groom to be noticed. Sometimes they chew on their claws. It's a sound I don't like to hear, it is fore-warning of furniture damage to come. If they remember they have scratching posts to use, or maybe they are scratching my furniture to annoy. They are seriously evil, most days. They are very handsome cats, though. You better believe it and tell them daily, or else!!

My Siamese cats do groom to be noticed. Sometimes they chew on their claws. It's a sound I don't like to hear, it is fore-warning of furniture damage to come. If they remember they have scratching posts to use, or maybe they are scratching my furniture to annoy. They are seriously evil, most days. They are very handsome cats, though. You better believe it and tell them daily, or else!!

J.R.R. Tolkien was no fan of Siamese cats and referred to them in a letter once, IIRC, as "spawn of Mordor."

I rarely use clippers. I find tearing works well on both finger and toe nails.

Yep. I pretty much never use clippers. I just pick at the toenails and they trim pretty easily. With my fingers, I've always been a nail biter, so that takes care of that. Although, now that I'm married, my wife likes to take to my toes with clippers, so not as much tearing is involved these days, although I still have a habit of picking at my big toe to trim it down.

I used to just tear my fingernails, and it usually works just fine, but yeah, sometimes it goes wrong, so now I use a clipper.

I don't think I could have ever torn my toenails, though, as they're much thicker and tougher. Especially the nail on my little toe, which grows straight up instead of forward (a common trait in my family).

And as for the the last-thumb problem, even now that I'm using a clipper, I still only trim one of my thumbnails (alternating) each time I trim the other fingers. Sometimes you just need a thumbnail for something, like opening a pocketknife, and sometimes that need arises right after you've trimmed.

J.R.R. Tolkien was no fan of Siamese cats and referred to them in a letter once, IIRC, as "spawn of Mordor."

He was correct. They are in the window right now looking at me. Usually the look out at the bird feeder, but they know I am typing about them. They are mind readers as well. I get no peace in this house. I am subject to their whims and evil intentions. I am their slave. My life just sucks.

Yeah, right. Go ahead and grab a cat while its grooming itself. Just be sure to put it on YouTube. I bet the cat would appreciate the opportunity to show how fast it can correct you -- even with only half its claws in prime condition.

If i do that to my cat, all that is going to happen is she is going to start grooming me
with that combination of brillo pad and cat spit exfoliating tool she calls a tongue.

I'm kind of surprised this needs to be asked. Many people just tear or bite their nails. If they're long, it's not hard. As for how you'd tear your nails without hurting yourself, the answer is simple...don't be stupid about it.

This amazes me. My wife’s nails are thinner than mine, so maybe hers are normal.

Mine are way too thick to tear, I have also had no success biting them.

I can't bite my nails, not that I've ever tried that hard, it seems pretty revolting. Tearing works well if you have thick nails, though. You use another of your thick nails to make a notch at the side, then gently pull across.

Fingernails get bit, toenails get torn. My toenails are pretty thick, but once you break them at an edge they tear fairly easily. Sometimes multiple efforts are needed for a big one, sometimes they get torn/bitten too deep and it sucks but no biggie. Life is sometimes annoying, I deal with it and drive on.

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